


I'd spend a lifetime (waiting for the right time)

by haughtkhakis



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, can be considered au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-03-09 03:40:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18908791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haughtkhakis/pseuds/haughtkhakis
Summary: Waverly wants to pop the question but Nicole isn't making it easy.





	1. Part I

**Author's Note:**

> This came out of nowhere and I'm as surprised as you. This is un-beta'd so all mistakes and typos (and just overall bad writing) are my bad...this is as good as it will get.

Today was the one-year anniversary of Nicole asking Waverly to move in with her, and three years since they began dating. They easily made Nicole’s little house into their home, and they were reasonably close to everything essential in Purgatory. Well, almost everything. The lengthy drive to the homestead on the outskirts of town never seemed so bad before but now that Waverly laid her head in another house every night, she had to admit it was a bit of a schlep.

Waverly admired her handiwork, straightening some of the silverware as she evened out the tablecloth. She bent down to smell the small bouquet of flowers in the center of the table and smiled blissfully. Tonight was going to be perfect. Nicole had switched shifts with Lonnie and would be home any second, leaving them with an entire evening (and weekend) to celebrate; Wynonna having been sufficiently warned to stay away...or else. Waverly might be diminutive in stature but she sure as hell could be convincingly menacing.

Admiring her arrangement one final time, she moved to the stove, breathing in the tantalizing aroma. She had made a new recipe, a vegan pesto pasta dish with sun-dried tomatoes, and made-from-scratch roasted garlic bread (also vegan). She had practiced the recipe at the homestead with her sister eagerly accepting a free home-cooked meal, even if it was grossly vegan. Wynonna scarfed down two servings and all but devoured the bread. The universe was definitely on her side and all signs pointed to an unforgettable weekend ahead. Pulling the hot bread from the oven she placed it in its basket, wrapping the towel over it to keep some of the warmth in.

Once she placed the bread on the table, she felt for the velvet box hiding in her apron. Waverly felt in her bones that Nicole was the one. And she one hundred percent believed Nicole would say yes, but the butterflies in her stomach felt more like pterodactyls. She took a swig of her wine to help calm her nerves and smiled softly as she toyed with the box. Nicole had always let Waverly set the pace of their relationship and she knew she was ready, that they both were ready for this monumental next step.

And now with the mood set all she needed was for Nicole to get home.

She heard the key in the lock at the door a few minutes later and Nicole’s voice rang out declaring that something smelled so damn good. She kicked off her boots at the entryway, lining them up on the shoe tray by the window, and made her way into the kitchen greeting Waverly with an enthusiastic kiss hello.

“Hi baby,” Waverly said, lips still pressed against Nicole’s, “Did you have a good day?”

“It was alright but it’s definitely better now,” Nicole said, her hands reaching down to playfully grope Waverly’s ass, “dinner smells delicious by the way.” They giggled as they heard Nicole’s stomach growl. “Let me wash up and change real quick.” She pecked Waverly's lips and Waverly gave her a teasing slap on the rear as she marched upstairs.

Thirty minutes later they started eating, fallen into comfortable banter, Nicole complimenting her on how nice everything looked and how fantastic the food smelled. She scooped a generous portion onto her plate, digging out a slice of bread as soon as the basket was within reach. She tore off a chunk and dipped it into the pesto and popped it into her mouth.

On her third chew, Nicole suddenly stopped and dropped the remaining piece, her face alarmingly red.

“Waverly,” she rasped.

Waverly looked at her worriedly. “What’s wrong?” She rushed over dropping to her knees.

“Did you use nuts in the pesto?” she groaned out grasping at her throat.

Waverly frowned. “Well yeah, pesto is generally made with pine nuts,” she said frantically as Nicole’s face got even redder and her breathing more strained.

“Even vegan pesto?” Nicole struggled out and any other time Waverly would have rolled her eyes at such a silly question.

“Nuts are a seed, Nicole!” Waverly shrieked, a growing panic twisting in her gut.

“I’m allergic,” Nicole took in a strangled breath rapidly surging into anaphylactic shock.

“What?!” Waverly screamed “No you’re not,” she insisted. She raced through her mind trying to think of a time Nicole might’ve mentioned her allergy and came up with nothing. She was sure she’d seen Nicole eat nuts before, hadn’t she?

“I think you should call an ambulance,” Nicole wheezed out weakly.

“Do you have an EpiPen?” Waverly scrambled to find her phone and fumbled to unlock it, pacing as she waited to hear the emergency dispatchers voice.

“It’s somewhere...” Nicole managed to gasp out as she slumped in her chair.

“Oh my god,” Waverly made a mental note to scold her girlfriend later for being so careless with a potentially deadly allergy; much later, once death wasn’t so imminent.

Waverly frantically gave the operator their address and tried her best to stay calm. She pulled Nicole down onto her lap on the floor and listened as the dispatcher composedly told them help was on the way.

“It’s going to be okay,” Waverly cried, rocking a trembling and bright red Nicole in her arms. “Just stay with me, okay baby?” She sobbed into Nicole’s hair, all thoughts of proposing hastily pushed to the back her mind. “Shh, it’s going to be okay, baby,” she soothed. “You’re okay,” Waverly kissed Nicole’s temple holding her close. “Please don’t die,” she whispered.

Nicole took in shallow, labored breaths, her eyes were glassy and unfocused and she was dizzy. “Waverly, I love you,” she coughed out in a whisper. Then she closed her eyes, her head lolling to the side and Waverly felt sick with panic.

“Nicole!” Waverly called out desperately.

The ambulance lights flashed through the windows and moments later paramedics were hurriedly looking over an unresponsive Nicole. Waverly burst into tears at seeing Nicole roughly injected with epinephrine and a part of her wanted to scream. Her girlfriend responded to the adrenaline shot instantly and Waverly felt the tightness in her chest slightly loosen.

Waverly made a mental note to ream Nicole out once she was fully recovered. Because really, Nicole should have her medicine easily accessible—at all times—but more importantly, why hadn’t she told Waverly?

One frenetic ambulance ride—and one confused Wynonna—later, Waverly was reassured that Nicole was not going to die and would be just fine. She’d need to take it easy but she’d be no worse for wear.

“I’m so sorry,” Waverly whispered, taking Nicole’s hand in hers.

“Don’t be baby, it was a freak happenstance,” Nicole squeezed her hand faintly.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Waverly demanded as she wiped a tear from her eye. “I kind of should know you have a serious nut allergy, Nicole.” She chastised closing her eyes, the image of Nicole struggling to breathe and losing consciousness still fresh in her mind.

Nicole gave Waverly a lopsided smile that Waverly found annoying—albeit still cute—given the circumstances. “I should have told you, you’re right. It just never really came up and I am normally really good about having my injector nearby.”

“This isn’t really how I pictured us celebrating,” Waverly sighed and shuffled to sit on the bed with Nicole. “I had a special weekend planned, I was going to do some really kinky sex stuff to you,” she joked and they both laughed lightly. Her voice took on a serious note, “And I have something really important to ask—”

“Haught damn, you made it!” Wynonna strode into the room with a bounce in her step, coffee cups in hand. She hastily shoved the hot drinks into Waverly’s hands and scooped Nicole up into a fierce hug.

“Still not a hundred percent, so maybe less squeezing,” Nicole said and Wynonna eased up.

“Way to almost die, Haught-shot, and this weekend of all weekends when—”

“Wynonna!” Waverly shouted tightly, shaking her head noticeably. “Thanks for the coffee!” Nicole tilted her head, confused.

“Oh shit, yeah, you’re, uh, welcome,” Wynonna said a little too quickly.

Nicole squinted her eyes, her head moving back and forth questioningly between the sisters.

“When what?” Nicole asked puzzled.

“Oh, look at the time,” Wynonna looked at her bare wrist, “It’s whiskey o’clock! Better get to Shorty’s pronto, don’t want Doc starting without me, bye!” Wynonna sputtered out in a high and squeaky voice. She turned to face them once she reached the door, and partly obscured by the curtain, she gave Waverly two sarcastic thumbs up and walked out.

Waverly took a deep sigh and leaned her forehead against Nicole’s shoulder.

“What did you want to ask?”

Waverly set the coffee aside and repositioned herself back on the bed.

“Before Wynonna walked in, you said you had something to ask,” Nicole tried again.

Waverly tucked some of Nicole’s hair behind her ear. “It doesn’t matter right now, baby.” Nicole squinted at her and cocked her head to the side adorably.

“So here’s the plan, we’re going to have the doctor prescribe you a new EpiPen.” Waverly gave Nicole a pointed look. “And once we get out of here, you’re going to make me a list of every food allergy you have so I don’t have a panic attack every time we cook at home.”

“I’m only allergic to nuts, I swear,” Nicole laughed and winced at the soreness.

“Is there anything else you haven’t told me about?” Waverly asked. “Because we’ve talked about this, remember. No more secrets.”

“Well, there is one thing I’ve been meaning to tell you, but there’s never really been a good time…” Nicole trailed off looking away from Waverly, trying her hardest not to crack.

“Tell me,” Waverly squeezed her hand

Nicole took a deep breath. “I’m married,” she said seriously and bit her lip to keep from laughing. And maybe it wasn’t the best time to be joking but Nicole just couldn’t resist. “To a gorgeous lady doctor.”

Waverly’s eyes widened in disbelief and Nicole completely lost it, bursting into a deep hearty laugh, wincing as her sore throat and body protested.

“Oh my god babe, your face was priceless,” Nicole snickered. “Ow!”

“You’re so lucky you're already in the hospital, asshole,” Waverly said angrily but she softened a second later. “I’m glad you're okay,” she whispered and leaned in to give Nicole a sweet kiss, resting their foreheads together as her thumb rubbed Nicole’s cheekbone.

Nicole was released a couple of hours later and Waverly quietly drove them home, tucking an exhausted Nicole into bed. Still jazzed from watching the love of her life almost die in her arms, Waverly headed downstairs to clean up. She pulled the ring box from her discarded apron and sighed. She was going to propose to Nicole one day, come hell or high water.

~~

Exactly one year later on the anniversary of Waverly almost killing Nicole with her cooking (as Wynonna would joke), the brunette was hard at work preparing a meal she relentlessly researched, and one that Nicole would have absolutely zero chance of dying from. Roasted Brussels sprouts and crispy baked tofu with a honey-sesame glaze over rice. No chance of this killing anyone, no way, no how.

Tonight was going be a special night—t _he special night—_ Waverly was going to ask Nicole to be her wife...she just couldn’t decide at which point in time during the evening to do so. If she popped the question before dinner that would lead straight to celebratory sex and their food would go cold.

And Waverly could admit, reheated tofu tasted like butt.

If she asked after dinner she risked the chance of overeating to calm her nerves. The last thing she wanted was to be too full to for sex and Waverly really wanted there to be sex tonight.

She would ask after dinner she decided with a determined nod and put the finishing touches on their meal.

Pouring herself a hearty glass of wine, she reached for the engagement ring and held it up in front of her. She admired the white-gold band; channel-set round diamonds adorning the top and Waverly especially loved the way flickers of light made the diamonds shine. It was a simple ring, elegant but not over the top, minimalistic but still shiny enough to show off. She wanted Nicole to have a pretty ring, but nothing that could catch or snag or scratch when she worked.

Waverly smiled dreamily as she pictured Nicole wearing her ring, giddiness bubbling inside her as she placed the ring back in its hiding place.

Nicole got home a quarter to six and they sat down to eat twenty minutes later, grinning at each other as their conversation happily flowed.

Nicole tried her best to discreetly hide her dislike of Brussels sprouts. Pushing them around on her plate with her fork and putting one in her mouth every now and then, her urge to gag surprisingly low. Everything else, however, tasted amazing, and Nicole was already thinking up ways to show the chef her appreciation.

Bellies full and the night still young, Waverly turned some music on and pulled Nicole into a slow, sensual dance, her hands roaming not so innocently.

Everything was going smoothly and Waverly couldn’t have picked a better moment. The music and the soft fairy lights she’d set up adding the perfect ambiance.

Waverly scurried to grab the ring and came back to find Nicole sitting on the couch, frowning slightly, arms wrapped around her stomach. Waverly kneeled in front of her the ring clutched tightly in her palm, and her speech on the tip of her tongue but before she could get a word out, Nicole clutched at her middle as her stomach let out a discernible gurgle.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Waverly asked feeling the color drain from her face. Nicole was covered in a fine sheen of sweat and she was hot to the touch, almost burning.

“I don’t feel so good,” Nicole managed to say before her hand flew up to her mouth and she made a mad dash up the stairs to the bathroom.

Waverly gave her a moment before following, she could hear Nicole retching as she rounded the corner. She pushed the door open to find Nicole in tears, forehead pressed to the cool of the porcelain. She put her hand on Nicole’s forehead and frowned at the heat radiating off; turning the faucet on, she grabbed a towel, soaking it before pressing it to Nicole’s overheated skin.

Thinking back to last year’s scare, Waverly was inwardly freaking out. “God, please tell me you aren’t allergic to any of tonight’s food.”

“No, I’m not, I don’t think so,” Nicole cried, “but I hate Brussels sprouts, they taste super weird but I love you and you worked hard to make me a nice meal and I didn’t want to hurt your feelings,” she sobbed before pulling herself up slightly to empty what was left in her stomach.

Waverly rubbed soothing circles on her back and tried to pull some of Nicole’s hair back from her face. She was outwardly calm but her mind was running a mile a minute with every possible horrible outcome. “Let’s get you to the hospital, yeah?” She helped Nicole up and they very gingerly made their way to her Jeep.

“How come I got sick and you didn’t?” Nicole pouted as she let Waverly lead her into the house two hours later.

Waverly sighed. “The doctor said you probably had an adverse reaction,” she laid Nicole down on the couch and knelt beside her. “I guess you’re allergic to sprouts,” she teased lightly even though a ball of anxiety was still squeezing at her chest.

“I’m sorry I kind of ruined our night,” Nicole apologized softly.

“Baby no, nothing to be sorry for, okay?” Waverly placed her head on Nicole’s chest and before she could stop herself she was sobbing into Nicole’s breast.

Nicole sat up and repositioned herself so that Waverly sat between her legs on the floor, and placed her head on top of Waverly’s, rubbing calming circles on her back.

Waverly pulled back with a hiccup and abruptly stood up, rushing to find her jacket. And what felt like a minute later, she knelt back down in front of Nicole, who stared back at her, eyes wide and questioning. Waverly closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, wiping at some stray tears before looking deep into Nicole’s eyes.

“Both times I’ve tried to do this, you’ve ended up in the hospital,” she sighed nervously, “which probably means the universe is sending some kind of sign; like that we probably should stick to baby carrots with dinner,” she let out a watery laugh.

“I’ve imagined this scenario so many times and each has played out much more romantic in my head.” She laughed nervously feeling her hands start to get sweaty and blew out a shaky breath. “You know what I want most in this world?”

“What?” Nicole said so softly Waverly almost didn’t hear her.

“I want to marry you and I want you to want to marry me,” Waverly sighed pushing through her jitters. “I’ve been waiting for the perfect moment, the perfect time but that’s the thing...we’ve already have had thousands of perfect moments.”

Nicole stared at her, blinking slowly, taking in the words Waverly was saying.

“We have fought literal demons but almost losing you to something so ordinary like fucking Brussels sprouts and pine nuts has by far been the scariest thing, and I don’t want to spend another second without this ring on your finger.”

Waverly grabbed Nicole’s hand, her own trembling as she slipped the ring onto Nicole’s finger.

“We have been through so much and I can’t think of a better time than right this second to ask you to be my wife.”

She smiled at Nicole who sat frozen like a deer in headlights.

“I love you, Nicole, and I know I don’t say it enough but I never, ever want to lose you,” Nicole stared at her with wide, watery eyes, “Because I do, I do, Nicole Rayleigh Haught. I really, really love you.”

“And I really, really, like this ring.” Nicole joked letting out a breathy laugh, tears forming in her eyes.

“Is that a yes?”

Nicole nodded enthusiastically. “Yes.”

Waverly planted her hands on the couch and pushed herself up, aiming for a kiss but Nicole turned her head and Waverly’s lips landed on her cheek. She gave Nicole a questioning look; a tiny part of her worried Nicole changed her mind in a fraction of a second.

“Not to ruin the moment, but I’ve spent the last few hours vomiting, I think I kind of want to brush my teeth,” Nicole grimaced cutely.

“Of course, baby,” Waverly stood up and reached her hands out for Nicole to take pulling her up.

“It’s been quite a night,” Nicole said as she emerged from the bathroom freshly showered, “and I’m pretty sure I’m going to pass out as soon as my head hits a pillow.” She wrapped her arms around Waverly’s shoulders and felt Waverly’s arms come around her middle. “But I’m totally going to rock your world in the morning, you know, now that we’re engaged and all.”

No longer feeling gross, and with the mintiest of breath, she leaned down to give Waverly a searing kiss pouring all of her love and need and adoration into it.

“Such a tease,” Waverly nipped at Nicole’s bottom lip and trailed her mouth down Nicole’s neck, gently pulling the sensitive skin between her teeth. Nicole groaned and Waverly loosened her grip and guided a tired Nicole to the bed, tucking her in. “I’ll be back in a jiff,” she said as she grabbed her nightclothes and headed to the bathroom.

She let the stream wash away the anxiety and exhaustion of the day, feeling better as the scare of rushing Nicole to the hospital (again) swirled down the drain. Breathing lighter she quickly dried and dressed hoping Nicole was still awake. Sex was off the table but a cuddle would be heaven.

Heading back into the bedroom she stopped at the doorway and took in a very fast asleep Nicole, mouth opened slightly, soft snores wafting through the room.

Waverly leaned against the doorway for a moment and just admired the sleeping form of her gorgeous wife-to-be. Climbing gently into bed she scouted over to Nicole, spooning her and burying her face into the crook of her neck. She inhaled deeply, letting Nicole’s natural vanilla scent and even her breathing lull her to sleep.

Waverly woke up to the feel of Nicole’s lips pressed against her neck. Sometime during the night, they had shifted and Waverly was pressed tightly into Nicole’s front.

“Morning,” Waverly rasped out, voice still thick with sleep. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling pretty good,” Nicole answered, her hand squirming under Waverly’s tank to squeeze at her breast. “You asked me something big last night,” she said as her fingers played with Waverly’s nipple bringing it to attention before trailing her hand down.

“I did,” Waverly hissed as Nicole’s hand found it’s way into her shorts.

“And I said yes,” Nicole took Waverly’s earlobe between her teeth.

“You did,” Waverly moaned.

“So how does not leaving this bed until we’ve thoroughly celebrated sound?” Nicole asked, pushing into delicious heat, moaning at how ready Waverly was, spreading some of her readiness teasingly.

“Sounds awesome, babe,” Waverly wrapped her hand around Nicole’s wrist and guided her hand to where she needed her. She pushed Nicole’s long fingers inside herself and pumped, letting go once Nicole’s rhythm picked up.

Nicole moaned low and throaty. “Good,” she said and not so gently sucked a deep purple mark onto Waverly’s shoulder, Waverly’s responding moan making her thighs clench.

They weren’t leaving their bed anytime soon, not until they were good and satiated, then they’d trek back into the outside world where they’d be insufferable and achingly in love.

How gross for Wynonna and everyone else around them, but mostly Wynonna.

An hour later, Nicole’s head fell back onto the pillows—her body thoroughly spent. Waverly sucked Nicole’s essence from her fingers, pulling them from her mouth with a pop. She wiped at her mouth as she crawled up Nicole’s body and licked at Nicole’s nipple before taking it into her mouth, humming happily as she felt Nicole shudder. She settled between Nicole’s legs and rested her full weight on top of her, sighing contently.

“I think from now on, whenever we celebrate anything, we should go out instead. Maybe even just order in.” Waverly giggled and squirmed as Nicole’s fingers played with the ends of her hair, tickling her.

“Yeah, that’s probably for the best,” Nicole agreed easily chuckling as Waverly rolled her eyes. Nicole flipped them, grinning as Waverly let out a surprised squeak. She was in the middle of kissing her way down to soaked chestnut curls when her stomach growled, loud and angry.

Nicole groaned and sat up, throwing her legs over the side of the bed. “As much as I want to continue this, my stomach kind of has other ideas.”

“Aw, my poor baby,” Waverly came up onto her elbows, “why don’t you go shower and I’ll whip us up some breakfast.”

Nicole grimaced playfully and Waverly scoffed.

“I have a better idea,” she pulled Waverly towards her, “why don’t we shower together,” Nicole whispered against Waverly’s lips, “and then head to that little vegan café you like so much. Just to be on the safe side.” She kissed the tip of Waverly’s nose and smiled brightly, her hair wild and tousled looking every bit ravished.

Waverly jumped out of bed and stretched, groaning as she worked out the kinks. She gave Nicole a teasing little shimmy, winking at her before dashing to the shower.

“The last one in has to pay for breakfast,” Waverly shouted and Nicole heard the shower start not long after followed by a, “You lose!”

Nicole brought her left hand up to marvel at her ring. It shined in the early morning light as it filtered through the slightly opened curtains.

Her phone chimed and she reached for it, quickly glancing at the screen to read a text from Wynonna; Doc would have Shorty’s closed and all set up for their private gathering later tonight. She rolled her eyes as a slew of innuendo-laden emoji’s sprang up.

Taking one final look at her ring, Nicole sighed contentedly. She padded over to her dresser drawer, shuffling some of her clothing around until she found what she was looking for. She opened the tiny box she’d been hiding and ran her thumb across the sparkling ring inside.

Nicole had a surprise proposal of her own up her sleeve and she couldn’t wait to see the giddy awestruck look on Waverly’s face as she went down on bended knee.

“Come on, slowpoke!” Waverly’s voice rang out. Nicole slipped the ring back into its hidey-hole and made her way to join Waverly.

The most beautiful woman Nicole ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on was going to be her wife and they were madly, stupidly crazy in love, and even if they never had plans to marry, Nicole knew her heart and soul were forever Waverly’s until death do them part.


	2. Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole wants to pop the question in return but Waverly isn't making it easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to the dopest beta around, @luckiegambino. Sorry not sorry for being such a pain. And special thanks to you, yeah you, reading this. 
> 
> I hadn't originally planned for this to be a two-parter, but the plot bunny wouldn't scram and so here we are...

Waverly stood over a naked Nicole who was doubled over in pain; fresh tears welling up in her eyes with the tiniest hint of blood on her tongue as she clutched at her sore mouth. Waverly quickly shut off the shower and stared down at her with wide worried eyes, her tears threatening to fall. 

“Shit baby, I’m so sorry,” Waverly cried while helping Nicole gingerly sit up and lean against the shower wall. Waverly wondered if their engagement was jinxed? She sure hoped not. Poor Nicole got hurt enough as is.

“It’s okay,” Nicole said, wiping her hand across her mouth, wincing a little at the slight pain. She warily ran her tongue across her top row of teeth. It was going to smart for a while but nothing felt broken or cracked, so that was a relief.

Waverly knelt uncomfortably on the hard ceramic tiling. Pushing back some of Nicole’s wet red hair, she delicately nudged Nicole’s chin with her finger. “Let me see,” she instructed and Nicole offered her a toothy grin. 

“It’s not that bad,” Waverly soothed, gently running her thumb across Nicole’s lips. “Your mouth might be a little sore today, though.” She chased her words with a tender peck to Nicole’s lips. Nicole motioned for Waverly to help her stand and as they both rose to their feet, Nicole reached over to turn the water back on.

“I love your enthusiasm, babe,” Nicole said as she evened out the water temperature, “but why don’t we just shower and save the fun for after Shorty’s tonight?” The words slipped out before Nicole could register that she had said them.

Waverly tilted her head to the side with a confused expression. “Oh, are we going out? I thought we could spend the evening at home...” She flirted, wrapping her arms around Nicole’s neck, twirling a few strands of hair in her fingers. 

Nicole smiled and leaned in to kiss her newly-minted fiancée. She winced a little at the contact but only pulled back enough so that her breath tickled Waverly’s lips as she spoke. “We could or…we share the news with everyone tonight instead, and then spend the rest of the weekend holed up.” Nicole easily covered her slip up.

She had been planning her little surprise for weeks now, and keeping it a secret had been more difficult than she’d like to admit. 

“Mmm, okay.” Waverly agreed, kissing up Nicole’s neck. 

“No funny business,” Nicole chastised laughing at Waverly’s pout, “I’d like to go the rest of the day with all my teeth intact.” She joked. Waverly groaned before turning to face the stream and reaching for the shampoo bottle.

Nicole fiddled with her phone while she waited for Waverly to finish getting ready. She sent a few messages back and forth with Wynonna. Two to Jeremy. And got a thumbs up emoji from Doc. She ran her tongue across her teeth for what seemed like the millionth time, humming happily when she only registered a dull ache. 

She played with the ring on her finger, smiling to herself before she patted the pocket of her jeans, feeling for the ring she’s been waiting to give to her love. Nicole knew the moment she stepped foot in the jewelry store in town, that none of the rings on display were good enough.

There were a few that caught her eye, but in the end, none seemed _Waverly_ enough. She saved up three months worth of her salary, found a reputable, non-demonic jeweler a little ways out of town and poured all of her love and adoration into creating the perfect ring for the woman she loved more than life itself. 

She checked the time and was about to call out to Waverly when the other woman started down the stairs. 

“Who’s the slowpoke now,” Nicole teased, echoing Waverly’s words from earlier. Waverly rolled her eyes and tossed her long hair over her shoulders. She grabbed her purse, headed to the door and called out over her shoulder, “I’ll drive!” 

Nicole made a sour face but followed after her anyway. As she settled into the passenger seat, Waverly reached over the console for a kiss and they both hummed happily. “If we hurry, we can still get the complimentary brunch mimosas.” Waverly giggled. 

“Go the speed limit,” Nicole warned her with narrowed eyes. “And I’m pretty sure that breakfast cocktails aren’t complimentary.” 

“They might be if the servers know we’re fresh off of a proposal!” Waverly beamed. 

Nicole loved seeing Waverly so happy and if her lady wanted to use their engagement as a means to get free stuff, well so be it. 

Waverly turned to look at Nicole, her right hand coming to rest on her thigh. “We have so much to plan!” Waverly’s hand squeezed hers and then she excitedly gasped. “Oh, I think mama’s old flower crown is somewhere at the homestead.” 

“That’s great babe, but please keep your eyes on the road,” Nicole chastised. 

“The homestead’s the perfect wedding venue. Not in the Spring though, not with all those geese nearby.” She turned to look at Nicole with a bright smile. “What do you think?” 

Nicole looked at her cautiously. “I get that you’re a planner sweetie and that you’re super excited; I am too, but just focus on the road, okay?” 

“Such a cop,” Waverly singsonged scrunching up her nose and sticking her tongue out playfully.

Nicole’s reply was a frantic yell as a black cat came out of nowhere and sat in the middle of the road, without a care in the world. Too close to brake in time, Waverly swerved sharply into the oncoming lane. A horn blared at them as Waverly corrected the car back into the proper lane; they came to a full stop on the side of the road. 

It took a few minutes for Waverly to catch her breath. “Are you okay?” she asked, unbuckling her seatbelt and reaching for Nicole, her voice rising a little too high at the end.

Nicole shook her head numbly before shaking lose her stiff limbs. She started to laugh as Waverley hurriedly looked her over for any signs of injury. “Are _you_ okay?” 

“I’m okay,” Waverly said, “but where did that cat go?” Both of them looked around the now empty road, seeing only the tail end of a passing car fading in the distance.

“Weird.” They looked at each other simultaneously, bursting out into giggles as their nerves settled. 

They managed to have a quiet and peaceful brunch without any more incidents, and sure enough, Waverly had charmed their server into giving them drinks on-the-house. She happily gushed about how she had asked the love of her life to be her wife. Nicole wasn’t so sure the server was as enthralled but the poor girl had listened politely and nodded at the right times. 

“Who are you texting?” Waverly asked suddenly making Nicole jump in her seat.

“What?” Nicole said too quickly, putting her phone down. She’d been texting Wynonna. Who had checked in to see how things were going. Had Nicole caved and spoiled the surprise yet?  

Waverly narrowed her eyes and stared at her a little too intently. “What are you hiding?”

“I’m not hiding anything.”

“Okay then, who are you messaging?”

“It’s just your sister. She’s telling me about some donut monstrosity that her favorite donut place made.” Nicole hated lying to Waverly, she was, quite honestly, terrible at it. She’d cave like a deck of cards if Waverly pressed.

Waverly groaned in annoyance. “Is she still going on about that? That was weeks ago.”

Nicole’s whole face lit up and she easily went along with the tidbit. “You know Wynonna,” she shrugged, mentally fist-pumping that her little white lie wasn’t entirely untrue. Maybe that black cat was a sign of good luck after all. 

“Honestly, I think Wynonna needs an intervention. I don’t know how she survives on booze and donuts.” Waverly tsked. Their server chose that moment to drop off their bill. Waverly grinned pushing it towards Nicole with a wink. 

Nicole mumbled something about mouth injuries and near car accidents but placed a few bills into the check holder anyway.

“What was that?” Waverly asked.

“Nothing dear,” Nicole smiled at her.

“That’s what I thought.” 

________________

It was a beautiful afternoon and with a few hours left before their evening plans, they decided a walk around the park sounded wonderful. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and despite the minor hiccups they’d had so far, they were happy walking hand-in-hand, basking in each other’s company. 

“We should try having another picnic out here,” Nicole said offhandedly. “It’s much nicer without all the murder trees.” She tugged on Waverly’s hand bringing her closer as they walked back to their car, sliding her arm around the shorter woman’s shoulders.

“It was easy to find the way back to the car.” Waverly intertwined her left hand with Nicole’s and wrapped her right arm around her waist. It was so nice to have little moments like this she thought, sighing wistfully. Quiet moments were few and far between, but now with the curse broken maybe, just maybe, all the crazy that seemed to manifest in Purgatory would settle down. 

A little wishful thinking never hurt.

Having worked up an appetite they headed towards the bookshop-slash-cafe on Main street. The vegan-friendly one where the barista always, always added a little foam heart to Waverly’s drink. Every. Single. Time. The squeaky-voiced teen practically got heart-eyes the moment Waverly walked through the door. Nicole found it amusing. 

Once at the bookshop, Waverly turned to Nicole as they unbuckled their seat belts. 

“Hold on,” Waverly said with a shy little grin. “Can I do something incredibly cheesy?” 

“You do something cheesy?” Nicole mockingly gasped. “Never.”

Waverly rolled her eyes. “Just, hold on a sec,” she got out of the car, ran around the front to the passenger side and opened the door for Nicole. “M’lady,” she said outstretching her arm for Nicole to step out. It was corny and adorable.

Nicole laughed prettily, a blush warming her cheeks. Once she was out of her seat, she placed a tiny peck on the tip of Waverly’s nose. Waverly smiled and went to push the door shut at the same time that Nicole registered she’d forgotten her phone in the middle console. 

“Wait, hold on,” she said as she tried to reach for it. But Waverly was too quick. 

Nicole winced and instantly felt tears prick her eyes. Waverly screamed in horror. Nicole pulled her fingers out from the semi-closed door, flexing them a little as she brought her hand up for closer inspection. Her fingers were a little red and they stung like crazy but felt fine otherwise. If anything Waverly had only managed to bruise them. She thought about cracking a joke—something along the lines of their sex life suffering—but Waverly looked on the verge of a meltdown, so she thought better of it. 

Waverly was scared. Scared she’d hurt Nicole if she touched her. A nagging little voice in the back of her mind was working overtime, filling her with reasons why Nicole was bound to up and run. _You keep trying to maim her_ , the voice whispered. _She probably wants to get as far away from you as she can, right now._

Seeing the uncertainty flash across Waverly’s face, Nicole put her arm around her waist and pulled her close. 

“Babe, it’s fine,” Nicole flexed her hand for Waverly to see. “It doesn’t even hurt that bad. See,” she said, wiggling her fingers, hoping to soothe Waverly’s worry. 

Waverly rested her forehead against Nicole’s chest. “I keep hurting you.” 

Nicole laughed and swayed them back and forth. “This time was my fault,” she brushed Waverly’s hair back with her good hand, “I shouldn’t have tried to reach for my phone while you were shutting the door.”

Waverly breathed in deeply. “I think I jinxed us somehow. It...it feels like the universe is mad that I asked you to marry me.” Waverly hiccuped as she cried.

“Waves, come on,” she tried to push her back but Waverly only shook her head, holding on tighter. “Sweetie, we aren’t jinxed. I’m just too tall and lanky.” Nicole reasoned but Waverly wasn’t having it. She rubbed soothing circles on Waverly’s back. “We are not jinxed,” she said again, firmer. “And the universe knows exactly what it’s doing.” Nicole kissed the side of Waverly’s head. “Besides, maybe our little brush with bad luck will right itself after tonight.” Nicole cringed.

Waverly pulled back enough to look up at Nicole’s face. “Why, what’s tonight?”

“We’re meeting everyone at Shorty’s remember, silly?” Nicole pulled Waverly towards the front door. “Hey, you wanna share a cinnamon roll?” She said hoping to distract the brunette.

Waverly wanted to protest. Nicole was up to something, she could sense it. But a nice, warm, gooey cinnamon roll sounded delightful. And maybe the nice barista boy would make her a little foam heart again. She wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded, letting Nicole pull her through the shop’s threshold.

They found a small corner table and Waverly offered to treat. “It’s the least I can do,” she said, sheepishly, gesturing to Nicole’s bruised hand and then at her _everything_. Nicole leaned down and offered Waverly a kiss in thanks. “Cappuccino with double—”

“Yeah, yeah,” Waverly cut her off. “Double espresso, I know.” Nicole beamed at her as she took a seat.

A few minutes later Waverly was back with a plate full of an extra gooey looking cinnamon roll. “Look, Nicky, Colin gave us the best piece. He’s so sweet.” Waverly said completely oblivious to Colin’s massive crush on her.

“Did he now?” Nicole arched her brow. She looked past Waverly and caught Colin staring. They locked eyes and she glared at him. 

“The service is always so good here.” Waverly grabbed a fork and dug into the pastry, humming contently as she chewed. 

“I think only _you_ get good service,” Nicole said grabbing another fork. “Colin’s never this nice to me.” 

“That’s probably because he’s scared of you,” Waverly giggled. “Big, scary Sheriff Haught,” Waverly teased. “If only he knew what a big softie you were.” Nicole pouted and it made Waverly laugh.

“Order for Waverly,” Colin’s squeaky voice rang out. Waverly took another bite and shuffled over to the pickup counter.

“Hey, he’s getting better at making the fancy hearts,” Waverly marveled at Colin’s improvement, not paying attention to where she was walking. Next thing she knew she was falling over and Nicole was yelping, frantically pulling at her shirt. 

“Fudgenuggets, Nicole! Are you okay?” Waverly asked straightening herself back up quickly.

“Shitballs, that’s hot!” Nicole grimaced painfully, pushing back in her chair and standing. She grabbed a fist full of napkins, dabbing at her shirt fruitlessly. Her jaw clenched as she swallowed hard. She took a few calming breaths and then her shoulders visibly sagged as concern for Waverly took over.

“I’m fine, Waves,” she said. “Are you okay? Did the chair get in your way?” She snarked, throwing the flimsy napkins onto the table. Colin for his part came running the second Waverly tripped. Fussing over the smaller woman under the guise of being a good employee.

“Colin, why don’t you just clean up the mess, ‘kay?” Nicole said firmly, shooing the teen away. 

“I’m sorry seems trite at this point,” Waverly mused dejectedly.

“It’s not so bad. I’m sure the stains will come out in the wash,” Nicole pulled at her shirt, shooting Waverly a weary look. “And the coffee wasn’t _that_ hot. Really.” Nicole was trying her best to stay upbeat but the events of the day were starting to get to her. Waverly groaned and hid her face in her hands.

“How about we go home, so I can change? Sound like a plan?” Waverly nodded and let Nicole lead her by the hand to the door. “Sorry about the mess, Colin!” She shouted over her shoulder, waving goodbye as a hapless, love-struck Colin mopped up the remains of their coffee.

________________

They drove back to the house in relative silence; the radio turned up as a distraction. Nicole was nearing her breaking point. As much as she loved Waverly, she wasn’t sure she could handle another blunder today, not without snapping. And she didn’t want that to happen.

Nicole sighed. “I’m gonna go take a quick shower and change.” She headed up the stairs needing a brief moment of solitude to recoup. Waverly nodded unsure of what to do; she wanted to follow after her but she got the message loud and clear that Nicole wanted a few minutes to herself.

Nicole's phone vibrated from its spot on the coffee table. At a glance, Waverly spotted Wynonna’s name. Then it went off again. And then again in quick succession. She briefly contemplated reading the messages; maybe get a hint as to what Nicole was up to, but she wouldn’t stoop that low. There was a reason for whatever Nicole was hiding and she’d find out soon enough. Still, the urge to be _that_ girlfriend was strong. 

Figuring enough time had passed, Waverly went to check on Nicole. Rounding the stairs, she hesitated at the bathroom door. Frowning, she softly called out Nicole's name, followed by a gentle knock on the door and waited for the go-ahead.

“You can come in, Waves.” Waverly could hear the tiredness in Nicole’s voice, and it made her feel awful. She opened the door to find Nicole wrapping herself up in a towel. Softly closing the door, she leaned against it. 

“Feeling better?” 

“Much.” 

“Good.” Waverly smiled but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“You okay?” Nicole closed the distance between them, dripping water onto the floor as she pinned Waverly to the door, her hands resting at the brunette’s waist.

“I’m sorry I ruined our nice day,” Waverly muttered barely above a whisper.

“Hey, stop,” Nicole slipped a finger under Waverly’s chin. “You haven’t ruined anything.” She kissed Waverly’s cheek sweetly. 

Waverly’s eyes fluttered shut as she pulled Nicole into a proper kiss that quickly deepened. Her tongue running cross Nicole’s lower lip, nipping lightly, making Nicole whimper. 

“I just got clean,” Nicole protested mildly as Waverly tugged at her towel, loosening it so it’d fall to the floor.

“Please,” Waverly pleaded, guiding Nicole backward until her back hit the counter. She cupped Nicole’s breast, trailing her lips across her neck and up to nibble at her ear. “Please baby, let me,” she begged almost desperate. “I want to make you feel good, please.” She ran her thumb across Nicole’s nipple, making her shiver.

Nicole nodded giving Waverly the green light, moaning as the hand at her breast cupped harder. Whipping her shirt off, Waverly pushed a naked Nicole back, urging her to hoist herself up onto the counter. Staring with half-lidded eyes, Nicole bit her bottom lip, spread her legs and waited for Waverly’s next move.

After all the mishaps Nicole’s powered through, all Waverly wanted was to give her lady pleasure. To chase away the cloud of apprehension brought on by her abrupt clumsiness. With a lingering kiss to Nicole’s breast, Waverly spread Nicole’s legs wider to move between them, wrapping her arms around strong thighs and pulling Nicole forward making her gasp in surprise. 

Dropping down to her knees she planted a few kisses along Nicole’s thighs and bit down when she felt slender fingers tangling in her hair. She could so easily tease—drag out her actions and reduce Nicole to a weeping mess above her. But she’s already put her baby through enough so she dives in and _tastes_ making Nicole hiss and buck against her mouth. 

Nicole’s thighs tense and she draws in ragged breaths as Waverly works her tongue faster, bringing two fingers down to work in tandem. She presses into Nicole drawing out moans that rise in volume and curls her fingers until Nicole comes undone—the hand in her hair twisting almost painfully.

Replacing her fingers with her mouth, Waverly laps up all that Nicole has to offer until her thighs fall limp and the iron grip in her hair loosens. She kisses her way back up Nicole’s body—the remnants of her arousal dripping down her chin—and dips her tongue into her mouth. Nicole moans at the taste and with shaky legs pushes Waverly until they're stumbling their way into the bedroom. 

Forty minutes later they’re putting on fresh clothes with Nicole sitting on the edge of the bed watching Waverly pull her jeans on. 

“There’s no jinx,” Nicole pulled her arm back as Waverly reached for her shirt. 

Waverly sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Say it,” Nicole prodded.

“There’s no jinx,” Waverly repeats as she snatches the shirt from Nicole’s hand, pulling it over her head. 

With a playful smirk and a frisky slap to Waverly’s ass, Nicole’s heading out of the room with Waverly right on her heels.

“What do you want to do now?” Waverly asks once they’re halfway down the stairs. She feels herself skip a step and blindly reaches out to steady herself, which means Nicole goes flying forward.

Waverly shrieks as she watches Nicole fall. It all happens too quickly for her to react and then Nicole’s hitting the ground with a thud followed by a loud cry of pain. 

Nicole sucked in air and grunted as her knees slammed into the hardwood and her wrists absorbed the shock of her fall. She delicately lowered herself to the floor, turning to lay on her back with her arms over her face.

“Fuck baby, are you okay?” Waverly asked, running her hands over Nicole, checking for any immediate signs of broken bones. “Baby?” 

When Nicole still didn’t answer, Waverly began to worry. She pulled at Nicole’s arms needing to see her face but Nicole wasn’t budging. “Nicole?” She tried again. 

Suddenly Nicole sat up, jostling Waverly who was hovering over her. “I need a drink,” she said, grunting in discomfort as she stood and walked around a still kneeling Waverly. “We’re going to Shorty’s early. Get your shoes on.”

Waverly scrambled to her feet, following after a stiff Nicole who wouldn’t look at her. 

“I’m sorry I’ve been such a klutz.” Waverly apologized again, for the hundredth time. 

“It’s fine, let’s just go. Okay?”

“Okay,” Waverly nodded.

For the first time in a long time, they shared an awkward car ride. They stewed in uncomfortable silence as Nicole rubbed at the back of her neck, her eyes focusing intently on the road. 

“I’m sorry,” Waverly apologized once more disliking the feeling burrowing in the pit of her stomach. “Will you please say something?” 

“It’s fine, Waverly. You don’t need to keep apologizing.” 

“I know. I just...feel so bad. A-a-nd you’ve been so sweet all day. I completely understand if you’re u—”

“I said it’s fine!” Nicole snapped. “It’s fine,” she repeats softer feeling a growing headache coming on. They were going to get this day over with and hopefully whatever string of bad juju was chasing them would give it a rest.

Doc had promised to have the place set up and ready to go but Nicole had zero fucks left to give as she marched in and made a beeline straight to the bar. She slammed a glass down on the bartop and unscrewed the cap on the whiskey bottle. She poured herself a generous amount and was in the middle of downing it when Waverly caught up. 

Wynonna was the brave one to ask what the deal was. “You’re a little early here, Haught-shot.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Waverly questioned.

Nicole rubbed at her temples and laughed. She threw her hands up in the air. “Fuck it.” Everyone turned to look at her.

She went around the bar and came to a stop in front of Waverly. “I had this whole setup planned,” she waved her arms around and Waverly finally registered the fairy lights and unlit candles. 

“You beat me to the punch but I was planning on proposing to you tonight,” she reached into her pocket and pulled out the ring she’d been carrying around. 

Waverly gasped as her eyes zeroed in on the bling. A princess-cut sapphire center gemstone squared in a double frame set with smaller accent diamonds that shimmered in the light. And Waverly wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw the start of some intricate design going along the white-gold band.

“I had a romantic speech planned, but honestly, after today, I’m kinda beat.” Nicole let out a tired laugh reaching for Waverly’s hands. 

“Waverly, you’ve given me food poisoning. Twice.” She ran her thumbs across Waverly’s knuckles. “And just today alone, you’ve: head-butted me in the mouth, nearly gotten us into a car wreck, slammed my fingers into the car door, spilled piping hot coffee all over me, and pushed me down the stairs.” 

Waverly winced and ducked her head embarrassed.

“Not to mention all the times I’ve almost died just being near your sister,” Nicole added, completely ignoring Wynonna’s indignant scoff in the background.  “Maybe you’re right. Maybe we did piss off some malevolent force but none of that matters,” she shrugged airily, “because nothing about being with you has been normal.” Waverly quirked an eyebrow, tilting her head in mock distaste. 

“You’re an angel. A literal angel.” 

Nicole turned to face the others in the room. “Doc’s an immortal vampire who runs a bar. Jeremy’s a weird empath whose boyfriend can communicate with trees.” She tilts her head in Wynonna’s direction with an exaggerated sigh. “And your sisters a borderline alcoholic who wields around a supernatural demon-killing sword.” 

Wynonna, not one to take a compliment, flips them off mouthing _bite me_. 

Nicole rolls her eyes and turns her attention to Waverly. “My point is that I love you and if it’s our destiny to spend the rest of our lives narrowly avoiding catastrophes **_together_ **, then I’m pretty darn stoked and say bring it on.”  

She glanced into Waverly’s tearful eyes and went down on one knee, wincing slightly at the lingering ache in her joints. Grinning, she held the ring up between her thumb and pointer finger. 

“Waverly Earp,” she begins, voice cracking with emotion, “you’re my best friend and the love of my life.” She grabbed Waverly’s left hand. “Will you marry me?” 

Waverly lets out a watery laugh and shakes her head, yes, reaching for Nicole who slips the ring onto her finger as she stands. She cupped her hands around her face and gently pulled her into a sweet kiss. “I love you so much. Please try not to die.” 

“Ditto.” Nicole breathed against her lips.

A glowing ball of white light floats around them as they kiss and a surge of electricity pops causing the overhead lights to flicker before they go out completely. And when they break apart the candles strewn around the room are lit and the bar is cast in a warm glow.

“Not to ruin the moment but...what the fuck?” Wynonna whirls around looking for an answer. 

Jeremy’s shriek of surprise has them jumping in alarm. They see a shadow of a cat in the dim light before hearing a heavy thud on the bartop. 

Waverly gasps. “That looks like the black cat from earlier.”

“It does,” Nicole agreed.

“Long story,” Waverly said waving away Wynonna’s perplexed “ _what?”_

Moving closer, Nicole sticks out a tentative hand and when the feline tolerates her touch she picks it up. She grips the wiggly cat tightly and faces Waverly with a hopeful smirk. 

“We are not keeping the cat, Nicole.” Waverly chastises. “It could be an evil witch for all we know.” 

“Who’s a good kitty,” Nicole coos, scratching under the Bombay cat’s chin, smiling happily when it starts to purr. “I don’t know, Waves, this one seems sweet. Maybe it’s a good omen?” The cat stretched out comfortably, eyes closing contently. Smiling in amusement, Nicole rocked the cat gently as its purrs got louder.

“We are not keeping it, Nicole,” Waverly repeated stubbornly. 

“Whatever you say, babe.” Nicole nodded, rolling her eyes—hard—when Wynonna mimics the sound of a whip. 

“Damn right,” Nicole shrugged. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

Holding their new cat in one arm and wrapping her free arm around Waverly’s shoulders, Nicole brought her closer to drop a kiss to her temple.

“Definitely wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr, same name. 
> 
> Special shoutout to my (2) Tumblr buds who let me pester them and who gave me back feedback. You know who you are.


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